Tag: The Click

E-40 – “Turning My Money Over” review

New quadruple 20th solo LP from Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40. However: It’s his 27th album if you count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. Coming off Rule of Thumb being his most focused statement since, he’s not wasting any time Turning My Money Over.

“Cuttin’ Up” featuring Jason Martin formerly known as Problem kicks things off talking about staying sharper than a blade all day whereas “Car Dance” produced by Rick Rock shifts towards a hyphy vibe instrumentally looking to make people’s whips jump. “She Just Wanna Party” continues from there talking about a woman who merely likes to stay lit just before “Game Been Missing” featuring Larry June links up so they can give us what they feel like hip hop’s been lacking.

The 2nd single “Sum’n Ain’t Right” goes for a trap vibe instrumentally getting the feeling that something’s off leading into “Over Came ‘Em” featuring Celly Cel finds the pair on some Mobb shit talking about overcoming every obstacle thrown at them. “On Here Trippin’” discusses livin’ it up to the max & his belief of family extending broader than merely kin while “Keep Runnin’” featuring Peezy treads the rap rock waters talking about maintaining the grind.

“Come with Me” hooks up a woodwind-infused beat from none other than 40’s son Droop-E speaking of needing to be protected at all cost & having only a crumb at the early stages of his career while “Quicksand” featuring Havoc talks about making it out the struggles they faced in  their respective hometowns of Vallejo & Queens. “Blessed” takes the hyphy route to express his gratitude for the hustler lifestyle while “Must Be the Lingo” talks about his unique slang.

As for “Certified”, we have 40 Water over another hyphy beat so he can confess to being souped up while “Talkin’ Crazy” challenges anyone to say something slick to him. “Trunk’s Alive” featuring B-Legit & Too $hort teams up so the trio can talk about the speakers in their rides making it seem like the cars they’re driving are floating while “Paint Where It Ain’t” boasts his pockets being swollen up in addition to smoking the dankest weed & painting up the town.

“Play If You Want” featuring Busta Rhymes talks about being the greatest for their own separate reasons over an energetic Murda Beatz instrumental while “Night in the Bay” featuring Anderson .Paak takes a smoother approach yearning to drive around the Bay Area with their significant others. “Stand Down” featuring G Perico & Puablo15 gets on some gangsta shit together over a Hit-Boy beat while “Soul of Vallejo” featuring DaBoii, LaRussell, Nef the Pharaoh & NyNy ends the 1st half of Turning My Money Over with a posse cut repping their city.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “Make the Speakers Go” fuses elements of hyphy & g-funk talking about having to work all his way up to the top while “Mastermind” made for a decent lead single likening him to a genius & having the block jumpin’ similarly to the combine. “On Top” featuring Kokane talks about their paper staying long after going from the bottom of the barrel to the highest point while “Show You How to Love Me” gets romantic over a Mike & Keys beat.

“Baptized” featuring D-Shot talks about keeping heat by their sides since it gets cold around their parts with a slapping hyphy instrumental accompanying them while “You See It” moderately flexes his materialistic riches. “Need That” featuring Hitta Slim reassures they’ll talk back if one ever mentions money in a conversation while “The Woo Wop” turns up the hyphy influences promising all his haters they’ll eventually meet their fate.

AzChike appears during the Mobb-inspired “Dreams & Shadows” talking about being the kind to take everything only to ask for more over some sampling chops while one of the weaker tracks “High Kickin’ In” hooks up this goofy reggae beat for stoner raps I’d consider average at best. “Trenches” aggressively tells us stories of what the streets of Vallejo are like while “Double Back” featuring Cousin Fik returns to a Mobb sound talking about neither of them acting right.

“Gamed Up University” takes us to a fictional campus he claims to be spooky & murky maintaining the Mobb scene’s core components in tact while “The Work” talks about him knowing who’s gonna win or fail & merely playing for keeps. “Hope I Lose” sends an eerily Mobb-flavored message to all the people who want you to fail than succeed while “Look at That” was another skipper since it sounds like a bland strip club anthem.

DJ Daryl gets behind the boards for “Sucka Ducking” featuring P-Lo talking about avoiding any cornball who attempts approaching them while “What Would 40 Say?” brings some g-funk undertones in the picture responding to that very question. “Get High” featuring Killer Mike was a far more entertaining weed smokers’s theme than “High Kickin’ In” was while “Lift You Up” wraps up the 4-disc experience reminding the world they’re dealing with a pro.

I do remember E-40 saying a Rule of Thumb 2 was gonna happen but regardless of whether or not it’s been scrapped like Parts 3 & 4 of Sharp On All 4 Corners were, Turning My Money Over was less enjoyable than it’s predecessor although by a slight margin. There is a fair share of impressive production, guest performances & 40 Water verses although I felt like the songs containing weaker instrumental palettes or features would make me want to come back to it as much as I’d like.

Score: 3/5

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E-40 – “Rule of Thumb” review

Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40 releasing his long-awaited 19th full-length solo LP only 4 years after his last one Practice Makes Paper. However: It’s his 27th album if you don’t count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. He’s also a member of The Click with 3 of his blood relatives & the supergroup Mount Westmore, the latter of whom put out their debut album last winter. However after releasing 2 Curb Commentator EPs during the pandemic, 40’s making a comeback on Rule of Thumb.

“Lift It” encourages those to lift the plastic if it’s the shit over a somber hyphy instrumental from Rick Rock to start off the album whereas “AYE!” hooks up the malicious horn melodies & finger-snaps warning that the law is coming asking if you hear him. “Does That Make Sense” gets on his mobb shit speaking the real just how he feels leading into the summery “GPS” featuring Larry June talking about how maybe it‘s the g in them.

Meanwhile, “The Game” returns to a hyphy-based sound saying maybe he’s doing exactly that prior to the woodwind/trap hybrid “Bay Warren Buffet” produced by his son Droop-E flexing his entrepreneurship for 2 & a half minutes. “High End” featuring B.G. who just got out of prison with Gucci Mane & Philthy Rich brings the 2 Bay emcees & both Atlanta representatives together over some synthesizers & hi-hats from DJ Daryl boasting their first class statuses, but then “Off Dat Mob” floats over this angelic vocal sample woven into a mobb beat explaining he grew up off this shit hence the title obviously.

“Green Light” featuring B-Legit finds the cousins returning to their hyphy roots detailing that it’s on site while “Water” featuring LaRussell goes into synth territory talking about how they’ll take their way. “Show You How to Do It” featuring G5, O.T. Genasis & Zoe Osama has some of the most underwhelming guest appearances on the LP despite the synths making their way back into the picture courtesy of ProHoeZak & the subject matter of showing y’all how it’s done while “Billionaire Dreams” expresses his desire to become a billionaire over a trunk-knocking beat.

To start off the 2nd half of the album, “Pickin’ Up What I’m Puttin’ Down” keeps it hyphy reminding that you’ll drown if you can’t swim while “Lemme Go” featuring Mistah F.A.B. & Too $hort sees the 3 Bay vets aggressively declaring that they can’t be held back. “I’m Just Spazzin’ appropriately gets a glimpse of 40 spazzin’ over a futuristically bouncy instrumental while “It’s Complicated” goes into smoother turf thanks to Nico Baran asking what is it that people are hooked on something getting faded.

“Pressure” featuring Bosko throws it back to the 80s sonically looking to apply pressure while “Succaz” featuring Trae tha Truth explains that it’s dark, but it’s from the heart also over a solemn hyphy beat. “Get My Life Right” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again gives off a melodic trap tone looking to have their lives straightened out while “Stop Actin’ Like a Weirdo” needs no further explanation over a piano-driven instrumental.

The song “The Bay” is an off-the-wall club banger laced with the help of Hallway Productionz that you might as well leave up to him to murder while the penultimate track “Lovin’ Somebody” gets on the grown man tip from the soul-heavy production to the sensual themes. “Dose of Game” ends the album by admitting that this music feel as good as the old school stuff & telling those in need of advice to play the game for what it’s worth.

I think the last time I mainly enjoyed a new album from 40 was The Block Brochure series throughout my first half of high school, as everything else since had been average or subpar since. Needless to say: Rule of Thumb is a step in the right direction. Some spotty production & guests here & there, but it makes me happy to hear him let the features they only take up 34% of the LP so he can sound more focused than he did on some of his past recent material.

Score: 3/5

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